Ornamental collar stay



June 18, 1957 G. A. HOBBS 25795795 ORNAMENTAL COLLAR STAY Filed May 9, 1955 INVHVTOR.

United States Patent G i ORNAMENTAL COLLAR STAY Gordon A. Hobbs, Plaiufield, End.

Application May 9, 1955, Serial No. 506,949

6 Claims. (Cl. 2-132) This invention relates to an ornamental collar stay.

Heretofore the collar stays or collar and tie holders on the market have been characterized by features which have detracted from their worth both functionally and ornamentally. For example, at least a part of the mechanism of the conventional stay has been visible to the eye. Again most have had sharp edges or protuberances which have distorted the collar and thereby detracted from the neat appearance which is so to be desired. Still further, the conventional stays have been difiicult to apply and to remove. While it has been true that with practice and patience the application and removal of the conventional stays has been accelerated and facilitated, many men have been discouraged following their initial use thereof from further application. Consequently most have abandoned the stay as both a utilitarian and ornamental medium.

It is the primary purpose of this invention to provide a collar stay of ornamental type which is so constructed and arranged as to circumvent and avoid the disadvantages which have characterized conventional stays. More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a stay the parts of which, other than the ornament will be invisible when in place even when the collar is viewed from the side.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a collar stay which eliminates the sharp edges and protuberances that have characterized conventional stays.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an ornamental type collar stay which is easy to apply without resort to mirrors or other outside help and which is easy either to adorn or to remove with a minimum chance of being pricked by any sharp edges, points or the like.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stay which when applied to the-collar will be prevented from falling or being brushed off and becoming lost, or from shifting its position and slipping .into view.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide ornamental means which will reduce if not entirely eliminate the likelihood that it will mistakenly be sent to the laundry with the shirt.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stay which will fit all ranges of collar sizes and styles without their being modified in any way, thereby making it unnecessary to purchase or acquire a a separate stay for each style or size of collar.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stay of such character and construction that its collar puncturing member will keep puncture damage, if any, to the collar at an absolute minimum;

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stay, the collar supporting portion of which is flexible enough to assure in the collar a smooth natural roll that readily yields to changes in position of the wearers neck and shoulders.

2,795,795 Patented June 18, 1957 It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a st ay characterized by optimum ruggedness and simplicity, as a result of which repair problems, if any, are reduced to a minimum and the cost of manufacture is lessened.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation view with parts removed of a collar showing the ornament part of the invention, the rest of the invention being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the invention.

Fig. '3 is a vertical section view taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the spring clip assembly or ornament supporting member.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section view taken on lines 5--5 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. '6 is a vertical section view taken on lines 66 ofFig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation view of one of the ornaments.

In the drawings the shirt 10 has a conventional wing type collar 11 to the underside of which the invention is mounted as hereinafter described.

The entire Wing assembly is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a substantially triangular member or Wing 12, an adjustable height assembly indicated generally at Hand a mounting plate or target indicated generally at 14. The wing supports the collar in the desired manner and in combination with the adjustable height assembly accommodates any type or size of collar. The wing itself is preferably formed of a thin flexible transparent sheet of Celluloid or plastic. But regardless of the type of material selected it should be characterized by being transparent or translucent; as thin and flexible as ordinary weight Celluloid; smooth enough to allow the adjustable piece to slide over it; and as sturdy as ordinary Celluloid.

Along the base portion of the wing is formed .an inwardly curled or rolled edge 15. Within this edge is slidably mounted the shaft 16 of the adjustable element 17. This element is preferably formed of the same type material as the wing itself and should have the same physical properties as enumerated above. The flat surface of the'moving or adjustable element 17 extends through the opening of the rolled edge and is designed to be as broad as possible in order to give a maximum amount of support to the collar.

In order to urge element 17 to its normally extended position there is provided a compression spring 18. This spring is mounted within the rolled edge of the wing and is secured thereto at its lower end. The upper end of the spring is secured at.19 adjacent the lower end of the adjustable elements shaft. This spring is preferably constructed of a good quality white-finished metal or possibly a clear or translucent plastic. It should be constructed of this type of material in order to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Wlren the spring is fully compressed the adjustable element slides all the way beneath the curved top 20 of the wing which by way of example may have a length of approximately 2% inches. When fully extended the spring will have urged the adjustable member outwardly from the curved end of the wing so that the overall length of the assembly is then approximately 3% inches. By reason of this height adjustment feature, as well as other features, the invention may successfully and effectively be used with any and all sizes of collars.

Since the invention is designed to serve not only functional or utilitarian needs but ornamental objectives as well, there is provided the ornament shown in Fig, 7,

through the exercise of ordinary skill.

This comprises an ornamental head 21 which may be any mounted jewel or other ornament that might be designed to match the other accessories worn by the user such as cuff links, tie clasps and the'like. In addition. to the head the ornament is provided with an. L-shaped shaft 22 which is smooth and devoid of those notches that characterize the pins of conventional clasping devices. The point 23 of the ornament is needle sharp so as to enable the collar to be pierced without damage. Of course, the narrow gauge or thinness of the shaft aids in this objective.

In order to support the ornament in the desired position adjacent the point of the collar as illustrated in Fig. 1 there is provided a mounting plate herein referred to as a target or target plate (see Figs. 2, 4, and 6). This plate is especially designed to make it easy for the wearer to find and penetrate any one of several holes with the L-shaped ornament. Thus instead of giving the wearer the ardous task of finding a single pin sized hole through which to extend the shaft of the ornament, a plurality of holes 24 is provided.

These holes may be formed by making V cuts in the material and bending the resulting triangles upwardly until they face slightly outwardly. That is to say, V segments of the plate are struck out thereby providing (1) openings that taper inwardly towards the center opening 25 and (2) struck out portions 26 which serve as cleats or projections to engage the under-surface of the collar thereby helping to retain the assembly in position. In addition these projections serve the purpose of helping the wearer guide the pin home. This is true for the reason that he can identify the location of the holes by the feel of the projections.

The target plate should be constructed of a good quality white-finished metal or of a good clear translucent or White-finished plastic of the same strength or characteristics as a good metal. It is preferably between A and Vs of an inch thick and slightly resilient. The plate itself may be formed of one U-shaped piece or of two pieces. In the latter event the upper plate is provided with tabs to crimp and bind it to the lower or spring clip plate 28.

This lower, spring clip plate is designed to anchor the L-shaped pin and hold it securely in place. Tapered holes are punched in it to correspond with the target openings. This piece should also be constructed of good quality white-finished metal which is characterized by a certain degree of resiliency. It is provided with a spring clip 29 having an upturned, guiding end 35.

In addition to being provided with a spring clip, the lower or bottom plate is also formed with two flexible prongs 30 and 31. The points of these prongs are pur posely rounded so that the wearer does not run the risk of being stuck by them. The prongs are designed for use with button-down collars. When they are wedged underneath the collar tip button on either side of its threads the wing becomes anchored to the shirt and the target is in correct position for the ornamental pin to be anchored through the buttonhole. The tension of the adjustable spring keeps the prongs in proper position under the button. of this device, is able to get the neat collar benefit from Thus the wearer, through the medium the supporting wing as well as'the optional feature of using either the collar tip button or the ornamental pin 7 in the buttonhole.

By reason of the popularity of the pinafore type collar, the invention has been designed for use with it as well as the more conventional type collars. For example the target plate, wing and the bottom plate are provided with two or more aligned holes 32 and 33. The exact location of these holes may be established by the manufacturer All the wearer has to do is to line up one pair of the aligned holes with the hole in the pinafore type shirt whereupon the conventional pinafore collar pin may then be attached.

In using the invention with the pinafore type of collar, or the very narrow conventional collars, it is necessary that the wing assembly be turned over so that its base leg is vertical and fitted under the opposite collar.

In operation the pin is first thrust through the collar with the ornamental head located in the desired position near the collar tip. Then while holding the ornamental head and collar with the fingers of one hand, the pronged tip of the wing is grasped with the thumb and first finger of the other hand and the wing slipped up underneath the collar, collapsing the adjustable member until the Whole assembly disappears under the collar. The vertical dimension 'of the wing should be close to and approximately parallel with the vertical edge of the collar. When the point of the pin and the target holes are in alignment the pin is pushed through any one of these holes to the hilt and turned upright so that the base of the L-shaped shaft pushes up against the plates. This lever action squeezes the slightly flexible cleats or projections tightly against the collar and prevents the wing from slipping out of place. The pin is then rotated by the turning of its head until the shaft becomes caught in the spring clip. The attachment is now complete. Gentle pressure from the coil spring keeps the Whole assembly under a slight tension so that it cannot be pushed off accidentally and so that it will remain in place. To remove the assembly the pin is turned out of the spring clip and worked free of the target plate.

It should'be noted that by reason of the L-shaped character of the pin it has a considerable tendency to stay in a holding position even if it is not held under the spring clip. Since the pin shaft is not gripped by any pinching mechanism such as is used in many conventional clasps, the shaft can be much longer and thinner in construction and free of any notches. In addition the point can be sharper. These features mean that there is much less chance for the pin to damage the collar than with pins of the standard design clasps.

While the target plate assembly described above is of the preferred construction it is apparent that it is possible for many of the features that characterize that assembly to be formed in the Wing itself; that is to say, for the wing to be formed with the struck out holes and projections, with the prongs, with the pinafore type collar holes and with the spring clip.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. An ornamental collar stay comprising a substantially triangular member sized to be received under the wing tip of a shirt collar, an extensible and retractable element slidably associated with one triangular corner of said member for extending the length thereof as desired, a plurality of openings struck out from said member adjacent a second triangular corner thereof and defined by projections, a resilient anchoring member formed on the underside of said member and an ornamental pin adapted to pierce the upper exposed face of a collar and extend through one of said openings, a portion of said pin being anchored in said last mentioned member.

2. An ornamental collar stay comprising a substantially triangular member having an inwardly curled edge, an adjustable element slidably mounted in said edge for varying the length of said member, resilient means connected at one end to said member and at the other end to said element and normally urging the latter to extended position wherein a portion thereof projects beyond said member, a plate associated with one surface of said member adjacent one triangular corner thereof remote from said element and having a plurality of openings formed therethrough, said openings being defined by projections, a spring clip formed on the under surface of said member, and an ornamental L-shaped pin adapted to pierce the upper exposed face of a collar and extending through one of said openings, the free end of said pin being retained in position under the collar by said clip.

3. An ornamental collar stay comprising a substantially triangular member having an inwardly curled edge, an adjustable element slidably associated with one corner of said member to extend the length thereof when desired, spring means connected at one end to said member and at the other end to said element for normally biasing said element to extended position wherein a portion thereof projects beyond said member, a plate associated with one surface of said member at a point remote from said element and having a plurality of openings formed therethrough, said openings being bordered by projections, a second plate associated with the opposite surface of said member and underlying said first plate and having a spring clip formed therein, and an ornamental L-shaped pin adapted to pierce a collar and extending through one of said openings, the free end of said pin being clamped within said spring clip.

4. An ornamental collar stay comprising a substantially triangular member having an inwardly rolled edge, an adjustable element having a shaft slidably mounted in said edge, resilient means connecting said member and said element and normally urging the latter to extended position, a plate engaging one surface of said member at a point remote from said element and having a plurality of arcuately spaced, inwardly tapered openings formed therein, said openings being bordered by projections, a second plate associated with the opposite surface of said member and having a spring clip formed therein, said second plate underlying said first plate, said member having a pair of spaced prongs formed (5 at one corner thereof adjacent said plates, and an ornamental L-shaped pin adapted to pierce the upper exposed surface of a collar and extending through one of said openings, the free end of said pin being held in anchored position within said spring clip.

5. An ornamental collar stay comprising an elongated member sized to be received under the Wing tip of a shirt collar, an extensible and retractable element slidably associated with one end of said member for extending the length thereof as desired, said member having a plurality of openings struck out from the other end thereof and being defined by projections extending upwardly, a resilient anchoring member formed on the underside of said member adjacent said openings, and an ornamental pin adapted to pierce the upper exposed face of a shirt collar, said pin extending through any selected one of said openings and having its free end anchored in said resilient anchoring member.

6. An ornamental collar stay comprising an elongated member sized to be received under the wing tip of a shirt collar, an extensible and retractable element slidably connected With one end of said member for extending the length thereof as desired, the other end of said member having a pair of spaced prongs extending therefrom, said member also having a plurality of openings struck out from a point adjacent said pronged end, said openings being defined by upwardly extending projections, a resilient anchoring member formed on the underside of said member at a point adjacent said openings, and an ornamental pin adapted to pierce the upper exposed face of a collar and extend through any one of said openings, the free end of said pin being anchored in said resilient anchoring member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

